I'll soon be in the market for similar services (i.e. a consultant to build a web app I've mocked up), but having been on the other side of the fence, all I can

I'll soon be in the market for similar services (i.e. a consultant to build a web app I've mocked up), but having been on the other side of the fence, all I can say is woe to you if you ignore what Patrick/patio11 says :) However, what I think there is a bit of a market for is web-app-as-a-commodity -- well, not actually the web app itself, but the billing, membership, marketing site integration stuff that's all _generally_ (and I stress _generally_) pretty common. Or, at least, developers who market themselves that way -- "I'll take care of all the x, y and z, and focus on making your app idea as good as it can be (and here's how many times I've done it before)". Boom, great, take my money, get it done. The actual web app part though is an absolute wild card, and that's where you should be aiming to make the $$$ -- provide everything around it as a done deal, and focus on getting the MVP/app idea right (which is 90% communication & email with the client, and 10% actual coding). Remember, people want their hand held. There's a million different things to worry about. Thinking is hard. It's time consuming. Make it as easy as possible, hold their hand, allocate way more time than you think is reasonable (and you'll still get burned), and charge a fair rate for it. After all, that's what you're doing - it's still time-for-cash, it's just a question of how you market those services. Finally, don't forget: > The napkin crowd believe they have specs. They do not have specs; they have napkins. Good luck! ;)